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Karen Ruth Bass

MayorIncumbent

Los Angeles, CA

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What is Karen Ruth Bass running for?

Race
Mayor
Incumbent
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Karen Ruth Bass is an American politician who has served as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2022 and in the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2010, where she served as speaker. She became the first woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles. In 2024, Bass announced her re-election bid for the 2026 mayoral election, focusing on the city's homelessness and housing issues.

Where does Karen Ruth Bass stand on the issues?

Karen Ruth Bass has a recorded position on three issues. Each is Civoren's summary of the campaign's own public material, with the source linked.

  • Homelessness

    Supports

    Bass campaigns on reducing and ending street homelessness by prioritizing interim housing (motel/hotel placements and new shelter models) to move people indoors immediately rather than waiting only for permanent supportive housing, citing her Inside Safe program, 23,000+ people moved indoors, and a 17.5% reduction in street homelessness.

    “To address the homelessness crisis, we must reject the false choice between incarceration or waiting only for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). We treat this as a life-and-death emergency, prioritizing interim housing to bring people indoors now.”

    patch.comAs of May 2026

  • Housing & Development

    Mixed

    Bass supports fast-tracking 100% affordable housing through Executive Directive 1 (43,000+ units in the pipeline), but opposes apartments in single-family residential zones: she argues new housing belongs on commercial corridors and asked Governor Newsom to veto SB 79, which allows taller, denser apartment buildings near transit including in some single-family zones.

    “Bass has fought to keep new apartments out of most of the city's residential neighborhoods... Bass says new housing belongs on commercial main streets, so homeowners in single-family zones don't have to see apartments going up next to their lots. That's one of the reasons she asked Governor Gavin Newsom to veto Senate Bill 79.”

    laist.comAs of May 2026

  • Public Safety

    Supports

    Bass campaigns on public safety through a dual-track strategy: continuing LAPD officer hiring while institutionalizing the Office of Community Safety as a permanent city function for unarmed crisis response (expanding the CIRCLE program) and violence intervention, crediting this model with driving homicides to a 60-year low.

    “To improve public safety, I will institutionalize the Office of Community Safety as a permanent function with a dedicated, budget for unarmed crisis response and violence intervention.”

    patch.comAs of May 2026

Education

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Support for Karen Ruth Bass · 9/15/2026

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Past Elections

Past Campaign

Mayor

Primary election

Los Angeles, CaliforniaEnded 6/2/2026

Past campaign details are available on the full race page.

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Contact

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Others Running in This Election

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